Life Happens
by Techno-Poet
Summary: (Re-upload of my semi-popular fanfiction from 2008. Unedited and exactly as it was then.) Five years after the book Twilight comes out, normal human and Twilight fangirl Bella Swan heads to Forks to live with her father, still convinced that her life's similarities to Twilight are just coincidental. Yet she is somehow not very surprised when she meets some familiar characters…
1. Forks and Rain

**Author's Note:**

Hello, all. It's been a while.

I originally uploaded this story in, I believe, 2008. I don't even remember now.

I did not finish the original story, when I posted it. I gave it to another user to finish, and it ended up that they didn't finish it either, and then it got deleted.

I still get messages every so often, from people wanting me to re-upload the original, and so I'm finally starting to!

I've removed the original author's notes, because nobody _in the world_ needs to see the way I talked in 2008.

(Seriously, I said "yesh" and "heheheh" and "mwahaha" and...no. Just, no.)

 **Disclaimers:**

This story as it is now, is not finished.

I'm uploading it as it was originally, in 2008. No edits, nothing.

I wrote this story when I was 14 years old.

This writing is not the quality of how I write now.

I don't own Twilight, etc.

 _ **Life Happens, a Twilight Fanfic**_

 **Description:** Five years after the book Twilight comes out, normal human and Twilight fangirl Bella Swan heads to Forks to live with her father, still convinced that her life's similarities to Twilight are just coincidental. Yet she is somehow not very surprised when she meets some familiar characters…

 **Chapter 1 – Forks and Rain**

 _ **BPOV**_

I tapped the steering wheel of my truck as I drove down the highway. The night was cool and the moonlight shone bright against the dark clouds.

I opened the window and stuck my head out momentarily; feeling the dampness of the air. Well, at least it wasn't raining, _yet._ The fog rolling in, and the wet consistency of the air, notified me that I must be closer to my destination than I thought.

I sighed, not for the first time on this long journey. It was to Forks that I was headed, and it was in Forks that I would live. I'd been there several times before, on vacations and such, but not recently. I mean, who wants to spend their summer vacation in a town that gets rained on constantly?

Apparently, more people that I'd thought. Ever since the book Twilight came out about five years ago, Forks had been visited by tourists; fangirls, mostly. The few 'friends' I had back in California (where my mother lived), only hung out with me because I had connections in Forks. I thought it was all pathetic, really.

Forks' tourism had waned, however, now that it had been five years. The annual crowd of people taking pictures of the hospital, the school, and the police station, had slowly gotten smaller, and then disappeared altogether. It seemed that everyone had gotten their fill of Forks.

I turned at the next road, and smiled slightly as I was greeted by the "The Town of Forks Welcomes You!" sign. Oh, how those fangirls in Cali would enjoy seeing that…

I drove for a short time, before pulling up and parking in the familiar driveway. I climbed out of the car carefully, noting that rain was in fact falling. As always, I suppose.

"Bella!" Charlie came running from the house, and pulled me into an awkward hug as I walked up to him. "How's my little girl?" he asked teasingly.

"Wet," I answered sarcastically, looking at the dark sky again.

My father chuckled, and reached into the cab of the car to pull out my few small bags. I hadn't wanted to get everything wet by putting it in the back of the truck, so I packed what I could fit.

Charlie helped me carry in my stuff, though I probably could have carried it by myself. He set it down on my bed, and left the room; leaving me to unpack.

I shoved my clothes into the small dresser in a matter of seconds, not bothering to refold the outfits that had gotten wrinkled. Then, I walked to the window. I stared blankly at the dreary landscape, watching the rain pour down outside.

My first day of high school was tomorrow, and I was dreading it. Driving through thick rain to get to a boring school, in a boring place would be no fun at all.

I was glad that I had the truck, though. I laugh when I think about it, actually. Last year, my dad had found out about it, and had purchased it for me from an old family friend that I didn't know. The funny thing was that the large, weird-shaped 1953 Chevy was the exact same truck that Isabella Swan had driven in the book Twilight. Talk about coincidences…

I cautiously unpacked the last bag that I had: my book-bag. There was one shelf on the wall of this room, and I unloaded my collection onto it. I pulled out Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice, Romeo and Juliet, and many other classics that I had enjoyed. Lastly, I gently brought out my copies of Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.

I had started reading the Twilight series when it first came out; when I was twelve. I had been one of those weird twelve-year-olds who enjoyed reading vampire-romance novels.

I set the books, in order, on the shelf in a place that I could reach from my bed. I knew, now that I was in Forks, I would probably want to read them more.

That was one thing that I actually liked about Forks: the book references. The stores mentioned were the same, as were the ones in Port Angeles. La Push was pretty much the same also, but I didn't go there often (though I didn't know if it was because I was scared of running into werewolves, or if it was just too cold).

And I guessed that tomorrow, I would find out if the high school was the same as described, also.

I sighed, and, finishing by stuffing my empty bags in the back of the closet, decided to go downstairs and say goodnight to Charlie before I went to bed.

"Uh huh," I heard his voice as I ambled down the steps, "Sure. Sounds good." Charlie laughed mockingly once, before continuing. "Well, maybe that's what happened _last_ time, but don't be so sure about _this_ time."

I was getting curious as I listened to this conversation, and was even more so as he laughed again.

"Okay. See you there." Charlie hung up the phone, chuckling to himself.

"Who was that?" I asked curiously, walking over to him.

Charlie turned around, surprised, because he hadn't noticed me before.

"Oh, that was my friend Billy. We were planning a fishing trip for next Sunday…unless you want me to stay at home with you, or something?"

I shook my head; if I was going to be miserable, I might as well be miserable by myself.

"No, dad, that's okay. You have fun with Billy."

I said goodnight, and was all the way upstairs before I realized it: Billy…the same first name as the Billy that the Charlie from Twilight went fishing with every Sunday.

Scary…I don't know how I did it, but I managed to convince myself that it was just another coincidence. It wasn't until later that I realized that when there are that many 'coincidences;' they have to mean something.

I mulled this over in my thoughts, as I tried to fall asleep. The sound of rain pattering on the roof kept me awake a bit longer, before I drifted off to sleep. My dreams were tinted with hints of darkness, and strange mental images. A beach, a forest, a classroom, and lastly, a shadowed figure; standing straight, and looking right at me.


	2. School, and More Coincidences

**Chapter 2 – School and More Coincidences**

I sighed as I awoke, hearing again the rain pouring down. But that was only to be expected, I thought. I got up slowly and dressed with unusual carefulness, trying to delay my trip outside.

Finally I was ready, and I knew that I had to go out in the rain. At least I had thought to bring a rain jacket. On one of my summer visits, I had forgotten one, and I had stayed inside the whole time.

Eventually I decided that it was now or never, so I stepped out the door. I locked the door, and taking a deep breath, I stepped out from under the roof and into the rain. It was, of course, _wet._

I did my best not to slip on the sodden terrain; I'd never been the most graceful person, and falling was common (though hated).

I stepped cautiously out to my truck and climbed inside it, eager for the heater to be turned on. I turned the key in the ignition and listened to the sound of the ancient engine roaring to life. I was no longer startled by this noise, seeing as I had owned the truck for a while.

I knew where the school was, having passed it a couple of times on previous visits to Forks. It looked pretty much as described from the outside: like a bunch of buildings that you could hardly tell was a school. I headed to the office building, once again careful in my step.

As I walked into the office, I half-smiled at the lady behind the desk. She had red hair and glasses.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"I'm Isabella Swan," I replied, and saw recognition spring to her features. It appeared that I had been talked about.

"Of course," she said, looking through a pile of paper on her desk, before pulling out several sheets, and handing them to me.

"I have your schedule right here, and a map of the school," she continued; and began pointing out classes and buildings, and instructing me to get all of my new teachers to sign the paper slips she handed me.

I thanked her, and as I was about to leave, she wished me good luck, and hoped that I would be happy here in Forks. I was under the assumption that it was impossible to have a good time in Forks; but I said "Thank you," anyway.

Just as I walked out the door, I noticed out of the corner of my eye, that the nameplate on her desk read "Mrs. Cope." Now, where had I heard that name before? I was honestly confused, and curious.

I got back in my truck, and drove around the buildings to the student parking area. Not many cars were here, yet, and I decided to wait until more people arrived.

By the time I climbed out of the car, the small parking lot was mostly filled with older cars like mine. I was glad that I wouldn't stand out in that way, at least. The best-looking car here was a shiny Volvo, and that—

Wait, a _what?_ I stopped myself, and turned to look at the car again. Its owner had long since gone inside. I stared at the car blankly, and grinned at it. There was a silver Volvo parked at the high school in Forks. Nice. I supposed that maybe there were some Twilight fans at this school, or maybe someone playing a joke.

But then I looked closer at the car, and frowned to myself. This was a Volvo S60, a model not really sold anymore. In fact, it hadn't been popular since around the time that the Twilight books had come out. Volvo had moved onto newer models, with sleeker and more luxurious designs, and the S60 had been replaced a couple of years ago. And yet this car looked brand new; untouched.

I wanted to touch it, but I didn't. I smirked again, as I realized what this would mean to my 'friends' back home. A picture of a silver Volvo, parked right next to the Forks high school. I pulled out my digital camera, and, after making sure that no one was watching; I took the picture.

I knew that if I sent it back to the people in Cali, the fangirls would tell me to find Edward Cullen, now! I chuckled at the thought. Edward Cullen? Please. This car might be similar, but it was _not_ Edward's car. He was a fictional book character.

And yet, here was a car that was the same model that his was supposed to be, and it _was_ shiny…

No. I shook my head; refusing to think that. This was a joke. Someone was going to get a laugh out of this, or something. Edward Cullen is not real, and neither is the rest of that ridiculous series.

I walked across the campus, finding building 3, which was where my first class was. I stepped warily into the classroom, and, seeing two girls hang up their raincoats on hooks that lined the walls of the room, I did the same.

I approached the teacher, and handed him the paper slip. He looked me over again when he saw my name, and I sighed. He signed the slip, and pointed to a desk at the back. I noticed that the nameplate on his desk read "Mr. Mason."

My fellow classmates stared at me and I blushed, of course; but I did my best to ignore it.

The reading list was familiar; I had already read everything. I resolved to reread the books, though, seeing as I had brought most of them with me anyways. They were mostly classic novels, a lot of Shakespeare on the list.

I tried to concentrate on what Mr. Mason was saying, but it became difficult with so many pairs of eyes on me.

At last the bell rang, and some of the students left, picking up their rain jackets as they went.

"You're Isabella Swan, aren't you?" I looked up to see a boy sitting in the desk in front of me, smiling at me kindly. He had pure black hair and looked a bit geeky, no offence to him.

"Bella," I corrected; and everyone whose desk was nearby turned to look at me simultaneously, like something out of a cheap horror movie.

"Where's your next class?" he asked, seeming to be a bit too helpful for my liking. It's not that I was bothered by his geekishness or by his physical appearance, I just didn't want the extra attention.

"Um, Government, with Jefferson in building six," I answered hesitantly.

"I'm headed toward building four, I could show you the way…" Yes, he _was_ over-helpful, but at least I probably wouldn't have to use the map that I had been given.

"I'm Eric," he added, almost as an afterthought.

I gaped at him for a split second, before I corrected my facial expression into a normal-seeming smile. "Thanks," I said.

My thoughts were racing through my head at lightning speed, zooming too fast for all of them to be noticed. So is this why the names are familiar? I asked myself. Mrs. Cope, Mr. Mason, and now Eric? Is he Eric Yorkie, like from Twilight? No. I must be going insane, I told myself.

"Hey, what's your last name?" I asked impulsively, as we stood up.

Eric grinned. "Yorkie; I'm Eric Yorkie. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," I managed to stutter. No, I thought, no! Twilight is not real, Twilight is not real, Twilight is not real, Twilight is…

"So this is a lot different than California, huh?" Eric Yorkie asked. I was still having a hard time getting past the shock of his name.

"Very," I said philosophically, considering the situation I was in now. Running into Twilight characters… Coincidence, I yelled to myself in my head, it's all just a coincidence! I just couldn't convince myself, though.

"It doesn't rain much there, does it?"

"Not compared to here," I confirmed.

"Wow, what must that be like?" he wondered aloud.

"Sunny," I stated simply. I felt like I was reciting from a script, and there was a weird sense of déjà vu around this whole area.

"You don't look very tan," he commented, looking at my extreme paleness.

That's when it clicked. I could almost picture the page that I was at in the book. This was almost the exact same conversation that Eric and Bella had had on Bella's first day. And I realized that I had the same class schedule as her as well.

It was then that I made a deal with myself: I would continue to believe that this was all a joke or a coincidence, unless or until I saw the Cullens. I was dead-set that it wasn't going to happen, but after all I'd been through since the beginning of the day, I was beginning to be unsure.

"My mother is part albino," I mumbled, knowing by heart the rest of the line from the book.

Eric looked at me weirdly, as if trying to find out if I was telling the truth, or joking. I sighed. So even in the _real_ Forks, sarcasm and rain didn't mix.

He walked me to the door of the next class, and said, "Good luck."

"Thanks," I said, deciding to be grateful for his help.

"Maybe we'll have some other classes together," he said hopefully, and walked off to his class.

The rest of my before-lunch classes passed in the same manner.

My Trigonometry teacher, Mr. Varner, was the only teacher who made me introduce myself in front of the class. I was blushing beet red by the time I sat down at my desk.

Some brave person from each class would always introduce themselves, and walk me to my next class. I forgot most of their names, except for the _coincidentally_ familiar ones. It was in Trig and Spanish that I met Jessica Stanley. I reminded myself once again that this was all just a coincidence, but it was even harder to make myself believe it.

I didn't really try to listen to Jessica babble on about teachers and classmates as she walked me to the lunchroom. I felt odd still, and almost frightened.

Jessica's friend, Angela, joined us just as we walked into the cafeteria, and my repeated mental claim that this was all just coincidental faded away as I scanned the tables.

As if in a trance, I bought the food, and sat down at a table with them. My eyes roamed the room, searching for what I thought they would not find. And that's when I saw them.

That's when I saw those five beautiful, gentle-looking teenagers, sitting all at one table and staring into space. The oldest ones were an extremely muscular brunette boy and a blonde girl, who was without a doubt the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. My head was in a confused state of denial as I looked at the others at that table in the corner.

There was a short girl with spiky cropped hair holding the hand of the blonde boy who seemed to be concentrating very hard on something. Remembering what I'd read from Midnight Sun, I could guess what he was concentrating on. He was trying not to kill the girl seated at the next table over.

And then, almost hesitantly, I looked to the youngest at that table. He was a little shorter than his brothers, but not much. His inhumanly pale skin seemed almost beautiful in the light that shone on it from the fixtures on the ceiling. His coppery hair looked messy, but also perfect in a style that no normal boy could duplicate.

The pixielike girl then stood, gracefully moved to the trash can and dumped her untouched lunch tray; then glided from the room.

"Who're _they_?" I interrupted Jessica. I felt as if someone had punched me in the stomach, and I clutched the edge of the table, examining the faces that seemed somehow familiar. The Cullens, my mind shouted at me, they're the Cullens! You see it with your own eyes, you can believe yourself now. Give up the theory about coincidences, because there they are: those pale teenagers that most of the _world_ would kill to meet.

Then, suddenly, the youngest at the table looked up at Jessica. Jessica looked away, and the boy's eyes flickered to mine. His gaze held me as if in a trance, before we both looked down, embarrassed. There was no expression on his face as he looked at Jessica; as if she'd said his name and he'd looked up out of habit. But as he'd looked into _my_ eyes, I saw a small spark of curiosity.

"That's Edward and Emmett Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale," Jessica answered under her breath, with a nervous giggle. "The one who just left was Alice Cullen."

"They are very…nice looking?" I offered, seeing by her facial expression that I was supposed to react to this. I stared blankly at the Cullens and the Hales, trying to remember how to breathe.

I knew from Twilight what Jessica would say next, and I was right; she went into a long sentence about how all of the Cullens were _together_ , and that they _lived_ together; and not to waste my time with Edward, because no girls were good enough for him, or something.

I nodded several times, pretending to listen, but I was still staring at the Cullens.

I almost expected Bella Swan, a girl like me, to go up and sit with them, putting her arms around Edward, and talking to the others. That was before I remembered that _I_ was Bella Swan, and _I_ was the one whose life had just been turned upside-down by the first sighting of these perfect creatures.

"Bella, are you alright?"

"Which ones are the Cullens?" I asked; trying to distract her from how weirded out I looked right now, "They don't _look_ related."

I knew what her reaction would be, and even the exact wording of her response. I found that I had to stop myself from mentally reciting the words that she was saying.

I had to snap out of this. Beautiful though they may be, there was no reason to turn into a fangirl over this. I had learned my lesson when I'd been a fan of Twilight, and now I needed to get a grip and calm down.

I sighed again, and turned my gaze back to _their_ table, somehow at the same moment that Edward looked up at me.

Our eyes met again, and this time, I didn't look away. Even from here, I could see that Edward Cullen's eyes were black today. That would be a problem, I knew, when we would sit together in Biology. But now I was getting ahead of myself. I didn't even know if we had Biology together, here.

I smiled at him gently as we stared at each other, and Edward looked down at his tray. I realized that I must have been weirding him out a bit... I sighed, and looked back to Jessica.

We finished eating quickly, and I headed off to Biology; the nice girl, Angela, walking with me.

My heart was racing in my chest as I entered the classroom, being almost the last person there. Angela sat down at a table with her partner, and I walked up to the teacher; glancing around the room anxiously.

The teacher pointed out the seat that I should sit it, and my eyes flickered to that table. And there he was, seated, and staring at nothing in particular. I took in a breath, and he looked up at me, meeting my gaze.

I tried to look away unsuccessfully as I walked over there, and I almost fell. I had to grab the desk to my right as I tripped; and the girl seated there giggled mockingly. After that, I was able to make my way to my seat unscathed. I sat down on Edward's right, and placed my books down on the table.

Edward went rigid beside me, and scooted his chair quickly as far away from me as he could; though not before turning to glare at me angrily.

I was right; his dark hungry eyes _would_ be a problem. I looked over, and saw his fists clenched, and his fingernails digging into the tabletop; actually leaving indentations.

I scooted as far as I could also, and I pushed my hair over the shoulder opposite from him. I tried to keep as still as I could, knowing that this might help. I was enough of a Twilight fangirl to know that this was a crucial moment, and that Edward was almost ready to kill Bella because of the power of her scent. Lessening the scent would lessen the tension, or so I thought.

Edward already seemed to be breathing easier, but he was still extremely tensed up.

"I'm sorry, Edward," I whispered in my quietest voice; knowing he could hear me, though I was not even looking toward him. "I know it's hard for you."

Edward's head shot up, and he turned slightly so that he could look at me. The angry stare that had been fierce in his eyes only moments before, was now replaced by one of shock and confusion. I looked into his eyes again, confidently, as he whispered "How do you know?" His perfect features twisted in a mix of restraint, anger, and fascination.

I forced my gaze back up to the teacher, though I heard nothing of what he said. Edward returned to his previous position, leaning away from me as much as he could. I didn't answer his question.

The bell rang, and Edward was out the door in the fluid motion that I had read of, but had still not expected. Everyone stared after him, shocked...or was it just _me_ that was staring? I suddenly felt self-conscious, and stood, leaving the room.

"Hey, wait!" Mike Newton called after me. He came up beside me, and grinned at me confusedly. "So, did you stab Edward Cullen with a pencil, or what?"

I sighed.


	3. Gone

**A/N: Hey, thanks for reading this old thing! I missed you guys, so much.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3 – Gone**

Edward wasn't in school the next day. I felt incredibly stupid as I looked around the lunchroom for him, and saw only the others of his family. I was almost stupid enough to walk up to them, and say "Hello," but I knew that that would not end well. By the look on Jasper's face today, he was having trouble concentrating again.

I tried to feel some sense of normal as I went through the classes. I recognized most of the faces by now, and I of course knew all of the names. I had several good conversations with my new friends Jessica and Angela, but I still felt very awkward. Nearly everyone in the school had been staring at me most of the day, and this hadn't lessened.

It felt strangely empty in Biology, with no Edward sitting next to me. I told myself that that was ridiculous; I'd hardly even met the guy and I already felt like I missed him. Though, I reminded myself, I had read several books about him…

Gym was just as horrible as it had been yesterday. I tripped, stumbled, and fell several times. I had a feeling that I was going to be a danger to myself and others, in this class…

The week progressed in the same general fashion; and I hardly noticed as the time passed. But I did notice the day that he came back.

I saw him immediately as I walked into the cafeteria. There was just a different feeling to the air when he was in it. I saw him and his family laughing, shaking snow from their hair, and Emmett hurling a particularly nasty ice-ball at Alice, who ducked away successfully.

Sort of in a trance, I bought a soda, and sat with Jess and Angela.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you," Jessica giggled, not long after we'd sat down.

I looked up to meet his gaze, and then instantly looked down again.

"Stop looking at him!" I said nervously. I had to force myself not to look back up at him. I didn't know why I was resisting; this was _Edward-flipping-Cullen_ for crying out loud! I was supposed to be a Twilight fangirl, right?

I considered this as I drank my soda. I had never been as obsessed as some of my friends, and I had never crushed on Edward.

…before now…

I froze as the thought hit me, and buried my face in my arms on the table. Jessica giggled, misunderstanding my reaction, thinking I was nervous.

In truth, I was going into shock.

"Hey, Jess?" I said, trying to distract myself, "Have you heard of Stephenie Meyer?"

Jessica giggled again. "Of _course_ I have! Her book, _The Host,_ was on the best seller list!"

Then I realized something: I knew for a fact that no one here at this school had read Twilight, or maybe even _heard_ of it. For, if they _had_ , I'm sure they would have made the connection already between the book-Cullens, and the real ones.

But no; the Cullen family sat alone at their table; no screaming fangirls or twi-hards surrounding them, and no one even looking towards them at all.

Except me, that is.

"Jessica, have you read _Twilight_?" I asked, knowing the answer.

"What's _that_? It doesn't sound familiar."

My mind, at this point, was freaking out. Was _I_ the only one at this school who actually knew who and what the Cullens _are_?

"It's not important," I said, "Never mind."

"Okay…" Jessica said.

I finished the soda, and got up. The next class was, of course, Biology; and I would be sitting next to Edward Cullen.

I tried to slow my heart rate as I walked into class, but I was no longer in control of my own body. My legs walked towards the table, though my mind was somewhere else entirely.

I sat down, and he was already there, staring at a book, but not reading the words. Then, abruptly, he looked up at me, and smiled. It was all I could do to restrain a gasp.

The color of his golden eyes was so vibrant, and his smile so kind, that I almost forgot where I was, for a second. His hair was wet, but still very beautiful

"Hello," he said, "My name is Edward Cullen." His voice was a smooth as melted honey, and my voice sounded rough in comparison. "I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bella Swan."

"H-how do you know my name?" I stuttered, out of impulse. I didn't even realize that I was quoting from Twilight; in fact, I had stopped noticing anything about Twilight in general, now. I was too caught up in _reality_ to think of an unreal representation of this perfect creature before me.

He chuckled, and I felt as if I was melting; so sweet was his laughter.

"Oh, I think _everyone_ knows your name," he said, "The whole town's been waiting for you to arrive."

"No," I said, feeling like an idiot, "I mean, why did you call me Bella?"

"Do you prefer Isabella?" He looked perplexed.

"No, I like Bella; but I think Ch-my dad," I corrected, "must call me Isabella behind my back. That's what everyone here seems to know me as."

"Oh," he said simply. I looked at him again, to see an expression of—amazement?—on his face, and insatiable curiosity behind his eyes.

That conversation ended, then, when the teacher started speaking. I noticed that Edward wasn't breathing, and still had his chair turned away from me slightly, but it didn't matter.

There was a lab today, and Twilight flooded back into my head. Why did it have to be the same lab? I sighed to myself, earning a strange glance from Edward, which I did my best to ignore.

After Mr. Banner explained the lab, Edward turned back towards me.

"Ladies first, partner?" he asked teasingly, and smiled.

Oh my gosh. My mind blanked of all but one thought; that this was _the_ smile. This was the famous crooked smile that _every_ fangirl went crazy over.

Edward was apparently confused by my dazed expression. "Or, I could start, if you wish…" he offered.

"Uh…no…I'll go ahead …" I blushed.

I took the microscope, and the first slide. I knew what to do in this lab; I had been studying this for a while. I adjusted the zoom, and clamped the slide down into place

"Prophase," I identified quickly, feeling a little proud that I could get the answer that fast. I started to put the slide back in the box.

"Do you mind if I look?" Edward asked; his voice as soft as velvet. He reached towards me to stop me detaching the slide from the microscope, and our hands touched. I jerked back immediately.

It wasn't because of the temperature, which was, as I had expected, cold as ice. No, it was because of the sudden electric zap that I felt when I touched him. It was strange, and I hadn't anticipated it.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, sounding embarrassed. He reached for the microscope again, and took even a shorted look than I had. "Prophase," he confirmed, and wrote it on our sheet of paper.

He switched out the slide for the next one, and studied it. "Anaphase," he said, and wrote it down."

"May I?" I asked, almost a mocking edge to my voice. He smiled at me again, and nudged the microscope towards me.

I knew that he was right, but I wanted to question his intelligence anyways. I was unsurprised, as I handed the slide back, and asked for the next one.

When he handed it to me, he was more careful not to let my skin touch his; though I doubt I would have minded, this time.

"Interphase." Edward took the microscope from me again, and after a split seconds' examination, wrote that down also. I looked at his elegant handwriting, and almost wanted to trace the gentle lines with my finger, but stopped myself before I could.

We went on identifying slides until we were finished, checking each other's work after each answer. None of the others in the class were done with the lab yet, so we just sat back and didn't say anything.

Then, I turned to him, and he met my gaze with his now golden-colored eyes. I liked the color; it didn't stand out as much as the black had, against his pale skin.

I couldn't help but smile. "There's something different about your eyes, this week," I said softly. No, I had already decided that I wasn't going to blurt out, "Did you get contacts?" Such a stupid question!

Edward was staring at me in a mixture of worry and amazement; did he honestly think that I couldn't see the change in his eye color?

Mr. Banner came up to talk to us about the lab, and check out answers, but I was too sufficiently distracted to notice much of what he said.

"It's too bad about the snow, isn't it?" Edward asked.

Had it snowed earlier today? I remembered that it had, picturing the white flakes dropping from the sky. I had just forgotten about it, I guess. Too much to think about already…

"Not really," I admitted. "I don't like the cold…or the wet."

"Forks must be a difficult place for you to live."

"You have no idea," I answered wryly. I'm using _Twilight_ quotes again _,_ I mused. I need to find a way to mix this up a little…

The look Edward gave me was almost surprising. He looked as if he was concentrating very hard, and the way that he was staring into my eyes made my heart pulse unsteadily.

"Why did you come here, then?" The pure curiosity in his voice and eyes made me backtrack for a moment—why would this _perfect_ , beautiful person be interested in _me_?

I did my best to explain to him—it was harder than it looked—about how I had forced myself to come here, so that the others in my small family could be happy. About how Phil and my mom wanted time alone; and my father needed someone to cook for him, anyways.

"I don't understand," Edward finally confessed; fascination and confusion on his face.

"It was best for all of them, if I came," I said, and sighed.

"But, now _you're_ unhappy. It doesn't seem fair." His concern for my happiness made me feel slightly warmer inside, but I tried to ignore it. Why should he care, anyways? I was just another human, of no importance at all.

"Life isn't fair," I shrugged. He looked at me thoughtfully for a few moments, before responding.

"You put on a good show, but I'd be willing to bet that you're suffering more than you let anyone see."

I looked away, and blushed a bit, pretending to ignore him.

"Am I wrong?" he asked, his gentle voice slightly closer as he leaned towards me a bit. This time, the reason I didn't answer was not because I was trying to ignore him. This time, it was more because my mind had suddenly blanked.

"Why does it matter to you?" I spat, irritated slightly. But in truth, I knew that I couldn't be _that_ angry with Edward.

"That's a very good question," he said; as if he wanted the answer as much as I did.

Forgetting what he was for a moment, I unthinkingly tossed my hair over my shoulder. Edward instantly froze, and _I_ was instantly apologetic.

I sighed, forgetting why I was annoyed with him, even as he turned his seat farther away from me.

"So," I said, calm again, "How was Alaska?"

My earlier wish that I would stop quoting from _Twilight_ was now fulfilled. Edward stiffened even more in his seat, his eyes meeting mine as I glared back at him, unaffected by his stares.

"Bella," he asked desperately, " _How do you know?"_ His facial expression was pained.

I looked more deeply into his eyes. "Someday, maybe I'll tell you. But for now…it's best that you don't know."

His face clouded over slightly; perhaps he had realized that I had just and many secrets to hide as he did. I knew, though, that his secrets were more serious than my own.

Our gaze broke as the bell rang, and he departed swiftly. And just like last week, I gazed after him.

I left class numbly, not really paying attention to Mike's lament about how difficult the lab had been.

"Cullen seemed friendly enough today," he commented, Edward's last name breaking into my reverie.

"Yeah…I wonder what was with him last Monday," I said.

I went through gym class in almost a daze, messing up more than usual. I just sat out for most of it, though I got the feeling that Mike was trying to impress me by covering my spot as well as his own. I didn't really care.

After all of the torture of the day was through, I went out to the parking lot. As I climbed into my truck and turned on the heater, I looked around at the other students.

And there he was; the creature of perfection; leaning against his Volvo, which was several cars away.

Edward looked at me, and then smiled slightly.


End file.
